Sunny Dua
Come summers and tourists from around the globe, despite negative advisory by a couple of countries, are sure to flood Kashmir – ‘Paradise on Earth’. Both domestic as well as foreign tourists find solace in Kashmir and dream of taking a ride in Shikara or experiencing a night stay in floating Houseboats that don skyline of Dal Lake and are most clicked objects both from within the lake waters and from the Boulevard that form Queen’s necklace like Mumbai’s Marine Drive does in the evening.
Live performances in floating houseboats and holding water sports besides giving an impetus to Dal Lake conservation projects that included removal of encroachments though bore some results but the fact remains that more is required to be done to restore pristine glory of Dal Lake, primary task being relocating Houseboats. Tourism is sure to get further fillip once the Chenani-Nashri Tunnel is thrown open to public today on April 2 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
At first the Dal Lake which is biggest attraction in Kashmir Valley calls for cleanliness of its water, de-weeding, managing solid waste and shifting Dal dwellers to new housing colonies. Despite little headway on these fronts, the project is still facing an uphill task amid proposals to realign Houseboats to shores thereby making catchment area look even larger. Late Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed had conceived this idea of realignment at Doldum to prevent influx of untreated sewage from entering into the lake.
He was of the view that pristine glory of Dal Lake can only be restored once houseboats are realigned. To give it a serious thought National Lake Conservation and Management Programme (NLCP) – A Rs.298.78 crore project sanctioned by the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) for conservation of Dal Lake was also put into motion but actual work on ground about realignment was yet to see light of the day. This inordinate delay is the reason why Dal Lake is continuing to get more filth in it.
As proposed there is a need of rearranging nearly 400 houseboats at Doldum in the form of a cluster by Lakes and Waterways Development Authority (LAWDA) in coordination with Tourism Department. This will enable LADWA to install a common Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) for all these houseboats after converging them at a single point. For the moment untreated sewage and refuse because of its enriched nutrient contents accelerates growth of weeds in the lake and that needs to be controlled.
Going by the words of Mufti Sayeed the lake water was to be made crystal clear but extremely slow pace of de-weeding is not letting that happen. About five Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) of 38.7 MLD-capacity are today functional and out of that three STPs that are based on Fluidized Aerobic Bio-Reactor (FAB) Technology need to be upgraded for better nutrient removal. That says all about functioning of LAWDA.
It is also believed that summers aggravate growth of weeds but about two numbers of Watermaster Classic Lake Cleaning Machines, 3 truxors, 2 weeds harvesters with transport Barge, 1 Barge, 1 sewer cleaning machine, 1 tractor with six Trolleys and 3 number tippers that were purchased a couple of years back have been pressed into service by LAWDA to constantly flush algae and other weeds in a hope to get desired results.
The still better aspect of this conservation project visible on ground is stoppage of illegal constructions and encroachments by enforcement wing of LAWDA. Though many fingers are also being raised at the functioning of LAWDA yet such unauthorised constructions almost stand seized in and around the Lake. That’s an achievement. Over one hundred illegal structures have so far been demolished and 49 FIRs registered against the offenders but actual work to restore pristine glory of Lake is yet to show its desired results. Factually speaking there is more than what the engineers and scientists are doing to conserve this lake. Other than using conventional methods to clean lake, I personally believe that a little shift in their engineering strategy could bear fruitful results and that too at a less cost and short span leaving Dal Lake crystal clear. Other than de-weeding machines there is more what LAWDA can do to achieve target. More that the lake, Char Chinari inside the Dal Lake is required to be restored which was favourite destination of cinematographers.
The LAWDA authorities through wide publicity had last year claimed that total area of the Dal Lake, as per satellite imaging is 20.21 sq km and Sir Walter Lawrence, in 1895, had recorded the lake expanse at 25.86 km. What the authorities want to prove is that as claimed by many the lake area has not shrunk to the extent it is being projected. On the other hand several people claim that the lake which once was spread in an area of 75 sq km has been reduced to mere around 12 sq km today. The Master Plan, however says that Area of Dal Lake (Nigeen Lake) included has fallen from 26 Sq KM in 1900 to 21 Sq KM in 1950 to 12.5 SqKM in 1998.
Today also Lakes in Ladakh regions are getting more clicks, likes or re-tweets just because of adventure tourism and cleanliness of waters. Work on Rakh-e-Arth – a site identified for Dal dwellers must be developed and if those who are to be shifted are not happy with the land conditions, there’s no harm in identifying another piece of land but shifting these people out of Dal in most comfortable and respectable manner is need of the hour. This should be a precursor to effective implementation of the lake conservation project.
Going by the records the task is quite herculean in nature. About 10,000 families from 58 hamlets inside the Lake are to be shifted for which huge chunk of land is needed and adequate plots developed with all amenities. People of Kashmir want pristine glory of Dal to be restored, courts are monitoring projects, Centre had already released funds, state authorities have set up a special department, engineers are on job but still the results are grim which means that entire project needs to be revisited and any shortcomings done away with.
The only scary thing is that we might not end up getting shrinked, encroached, dilapidated, and an abandoned Dal Lake with no one to take responsibility for the same. That must not happen. This might sound unpleasant but we need to do away with cosmetic cleaning processes wherein only a small portion of already clean Dal Lake is always projected as pictogram of restoration project.
The men and machinery exclusively dedicated for restoration of immaculate glory of Dal Lake must not be made mere tool of extravaganza and joy rides in the name of conservation and management programme funded by government of India, ministry of environment and forests and national lakes conservation project.
Former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, in his capacity as the then Planning Minister too had approved Rupees 233.82 crore for rehabilitation of dwellers within Dal and Nigeen lakes. That money was part of Rs 700 crore project, sanctioned by the Planning Commission of India under the Prime Minister’s Re-construction Plan (PMRP). Unfortunately the condition of Dal Lake as on today in deplorable and is being allowed to worsen beyond retrieve. Chocking weeds, lily pads, water plants, creepers, algae, abandoned machinery, boats, pipes and waste material are all visible from outside the lake.
There are weeds creeping out of lake and finding their way to the footpaths, abandoned machinery is decaying inside the lake and farming is also being done inside lake. The steel grills erected all along the Dal Lake are rotting for the reason that weeds being taken out of the Dal are dumped on the same that causes rusting.
It also says that before 18th century forests and water bodies in Kashmir Valley including Dal Lake were in full bloom because they remained untouched in their natural form. However in the later part of 19th century it lost its scenic beauty brining in a sea change in the environment of Kashmir. Today forests have depleted and lakes and water courses squeezed. Without disputing the area what’s needed is cleanliness of Dal waters which if not done will adversely affect our tourism and who known we might also stop blinking on the tourism map of world.
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